


My Bitter Knight

by A Frukish Artisan (La_Chatillon)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU Dumbledore Bashing, First Potions Lesson, Flower Language, Gen, Sevitus AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 22:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12567240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/La_Chatillon/pseuds/A%20Frukish%20Artisan
Summary: What would have happened if Harry had understood the meaning behind Professor Snape's infamous three questions? Would things have turned out the same?





	My Bitter Knight

HP: My Bitter Knight

Another day of gardening for our 10-year-old hero. Harry Potter, resident freak of No.4 Privet Drive, was on his knees weeding out the garden in the summer heat. He didn't mind doing so, because out in the garden he was away from the adults who stared at him and hit him.

He looked around at the flowers and couldn't help but chuckle to himself, primroses and purple pansies had been planted together by order of his Aunt Petunia. If you looked up the meanings of those two flowers you'd find they meant, 'You are in my thoughts inconsistently.' Harry was very interested in what flowers meant when he found that if he listened hard enough he could hear the little messages they sent each other, and not all of them were very nice. But he found that Aunt Petunia suited her name; If you looked it up, petunias meant anger and resentment, which fit his Aunt Petunia very well indeed.

"BOY!" called Uncle Vernon from the house. Harry sighed and turned to go inside. Maybe one day he'd escape this place...

~~~~~~~~~~Two months later~~~~~~~~~~

"Potter!" 'Oh foxgloves...' "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"  
'The bitter regrets following a dead and absent friend,' supplied Harry's mind, but the eleven-year-old knew that answer wouldn't be accepted here, "I don't know, sir."  
"Hmm, let's try again, Potter," said the Professor, "Where would you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?"  
Oh good, that one he remembered from an old history text book, "The stomach of a goat or llama, sir," he answered. Snape seemed somewhat shocked that he would know that but nevertheless continued, "And one more, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"  
"Nothing sir," said Harry with a frown. He hesitated a little before saying softly, "But a daisy may be helpful to you."  
Snape's eyes widened slightly before the shocked look quickly disappeared, "What utter rubbish," he said, "Detention at 5 o'clock, Mr Potter." And with that the lesson continued.

~~~~~~~~~~5 o'clock~~~~~~~~~~

Harry knocked on the door to Snape's office. "Come in," came the voice from inside. Harry opened the door and stepped in, shutting it behind him.

Snape beckoned him forward, "Take a seat, Mr Potter," he said to him. Harry did so, sitting where he was shown to. "You understood my meanings this morning?" he asked, straight to the point.  
"Yes sir, all of them," responded the boy with a nod, "You understood mine as well, didn't you sir?"  
The professor nodded, "Indeed."

There was a silence.

"Sir, if I may ask, why did you tell me these things?" asked the boy hesitantly  
Snape was silent a while, "Because my absent friend was your mother."  
"Oh," said Harry, unsure of what else he could have said, "But that doesn't explain the bitterness, sir."  
Snape sighed and nodded, telling in careful words the story of what happened between his and Lily in their sixth year. Harry listened, fascinated, "Thank you for telling me this, sir," he said once his professor had finished.

"This doesn't change anything outside of this room you understand?" said Snape, "I'm expected to hate you, changing that would be bad for us both."  
"I understand sir," he said with a nod, "But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear more about my mother."

Snape nodded simply, and started another story for the attentive boy sat in front of him, deciding it couldn't do any harm.

~~~~~~~~~~One month later~~~~~~~~~~

Harry and Severus were sat in Severus's office again, under the guise of a detention. Over the past month the two had come to a mutual understanding, which served to allow Harry to break through the compulsions that Dumbledore had put on him once he'd arrived at Hogwarts. However, at Severus's warnings, Harry continued to act as if he was under the compulsions, which lead to him very often getting sick of Ron. The red-head had become a near-permanent pain in his neck, but luckily Severus realised this fairly quickly and started giving Harry more seemingly random detentions. And it was one of these detentions that Harry looked up at Severus.

"Professor, do you remember when you asked me those questions at the start of term?" asked Harry.  
The professor nodded, "Of course, why?"  
"Well, I've realised something about the third question, about aconite," he said.  
"Go on," the Professor nodded, looking over his book.  
Harry smiled gently and tilted his head, "The answer I gave you was wrong, the difference is the meaning isn't it?" Severus nodded slightly. "Did you mean both, sir?"

"I did," he said, "I am bitter, yes, but I took a vow to protect you."  
Harry smiled, "You're my knight then?" he said, slightly joking.  
The adult gave a rare smile, "Yes, I suppose I am," he answered.

Harry settled more comfortably in the chair, looking over at Severus, "My Bitter Knight."

**Author's Note:**

> E: So, I hope you all enjoyed that, and as Minty says, constructive critcsism is appreciated.
> 
> Do come visit me, Minty and Francis on Instagram @frukish.artisans . 
> 
> Cheerio!


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